Bobcats Open Season’s Final Month with Road Pair
MINOT, ND – Waist-deep in a battle for home ice in the Central Division, the Bismarck Bobcats will kick off the last month of the 2012-13 with a duo of away games, first at Maysa Arena against the Minot Minotauros Friday and then at Larson Ice Center Saturday where they will duel the Brookings Blizzard.
After Wednesday’s 5-1 win over Brookings, the Bobcats (28-15-6, 62 pts) have jumped out to a three-point lead for second place in the Central over the Blizzard (27-18-5, 59 pts) heading into March. With the Blizzard idle Friday, the Bobcats have a chance to extend that advantage with the two games.
“There’s no doubt what’s on the line for us this weekend,” assessed Bobcats head coach and general manager Layne Sedevie, whose squad snapped a season-high three game skid Wednesday with a 5-1 win over Brookings, “we can put ourselves in a strong position for home ice to start the month if we can put together some wins this weekend.”
Through seven meetings, the Bobcats have assembled a 4-2-1 against the in-state rival Minotauros including two straight wins over the Tauros after a frustrating 5-1 loss at the Maysa on December 15.
Minot has plenty to play for themselves, sitting a mere six points away from their franchise’s first-ever playoff appearance.
Despite losing the services of top goal scorer Tim Donohue two weeks ago, the Tauros have won three of their last five games; one of those wins came at division-leading Austin, who has only lost four games at home all season.
“Our biggest focus for Friday is going to be matching Minot’s intensity in their own building,” stated Bobcat forward Joe Giordano, who has four assists in the Cats’ last four games. “They play a physical, in-your-face kind of hockey and we want to be able to be just as physical.”
Saturday, the Blizzard return to open a brief two-game homestand at Larson Ice Center after going 0-1-1 in a pair of road duels against the Bobcats and Aberdeen Wings.
With Brookings sporting a 15-6-1 record at home, the Bobcats know that the Blizzard present a sturdy challenge in South Dakota.
“Brookings is a team that challenges you to make mistakes and, if you do, will capitalize on them,” illustrated Sedevie, whose team is 4-3-1 against the Blizzard. “At home, it can be easier to limit your mistakes but on the road they become magnified by an opportunistic team like the Blizzard. We need to keep our mistakes to a minimum [Saturday] while still playing with the fire that helped us win Wednesday.”
The Cats’ weekend road trip opens Friday at 7:35 PM in Minot with Saturday’s final regular season visit to Brookings to follow at 7:00 PM.
Friday’s in-state road tilt will be broadcast locally on the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, Super Talk 1270, KLXX-AM, and worldwide on the official internet television partner of the NAHL, FASTHockey, at http://nahl.fasthockey.com. Pregame coverage gets under way at 7:05 PM.
Pro-rated season tickets for the 2012-13 season are now on sale—and going fast! Call the Bobcat Hockey office today at (701) 222-3300 to reserve your seats for another great season of Championship Entertainment.